Video: Brains, Brawn Meet In Paper Airplane Distance Record

There was a time when being a smart kid with a great design was enough to win a paper airplane contest, even if you had a skinny little arm. Nowadays, it takes brains and brawn working together.

As with so many other childhood endeavors, throwing a paper airplane has evolved into a big-league event requiring the skills of a professional — in this case, a pro quarterback — to win. Such was the case when former University of California, Berkeley quarterback Joe Ayoob served as a hired gun to set a new distance record for paper airplanes. The effort paid off earlier this week with a record-breaking flight of 226 feet, 10 inches.

Ayoob played two seasons for the Bears and a few more in arena football. When paper airplane designer John Collins needed a strong arm to set a record with his latest design, Ayoob got the call. Collins had been working with two other quarterbacks, but injuries and previous commitments kept them out of the competition in Sacramento last weekend.

Collins, a producer at a San Francisco TV station, has been working on a record breaking design for three or four years. He believes there is a lot of promise in his design and told ESPN that Ayboob managed 240 feet in practice.

Ayoob’s throw this week could go beyond the Guinness Book to the global Red Bull Paper Wings 2012 competition in May. It’s slated for the amazing Red Bull Hangar 7 in Austria. In addition to max distance, the event includes time aloft and aerobatic competitions.

We’re curious to see if the Europeans up the ante with, say, a javelin thrower.